The Sprout
Lorry ablaze by Tesco on 19th April
The Newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley
Issue 157 May 2021
The Sprout
The Newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley
Directors: Janet Bartlam, Judi Bolder, John Clements,
Michael Cockman, Ag MacKeith, Robin Palmer
Editor
Ag MacKeith
South View House, Old Botley, OX2 0JR Tel: 724452 Editor@TheSprout.org.uk
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Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information printed in this
newsletter, mistakes may happen. The Editor and Team apologize unreservedly for
any errors that may occur and will do their best to correct them. This publication is not
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a personal capacity. Opinions expressed are the opinions of the individual
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Hinksey Parish Publications Ltd, (a company limited by
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It can also be found online at BotleyHinksey.org.uk
The Sprout
Issue 157, May 2021
Contents
3 Letters to the Editor
5 Social Prescribing
9 Hedgehog Awareness Week
11 Neighbourhood Plan etc
15 Minns Memorial garden
19 Meet Clare Sykes
25 Home Camping
29 Skatepark get on board!
31 Bringing on Great Writers
33 Tackle Weight Gain
35 Kennington Memory Club
36 New Homes for Birds
37 Botley in Bloom
38 Randoms
38 Planning applicaions
39 Local organizations
From the Editor
What happens in May? Well, Hedgehog Awareness Week, for a
start (p9) and Oxford Artweeks start on 9th May, with Botley
featured on sites 6770 see last month for details. Local elections
coming up on 6th May, when we will also get a chance to vote on
the Neighbourhood Plan, seven years in the making and finished at
last (p11). Kennington Memory Club is opening at last, giving
sufferers from dementia and their carers a welcome break (p35).
The Annual Parish Meeting on March 19th revealed two exciting
initiatives the long-anticipated Skatepark, and a chance to
brighten up the dreary A34 flyover. If you’d like to be involved, get
in touch (p29). The Parish Council has been busy on page 15
there’s an account of the refurbished Minns Memorial Garden in
North Hinksey Lane, and on page 36 of the newly installed bird-
boxes in Hutchcomb Copse, which are looking for people to adopt
them. Could you be one of them? And how are your plans for your
front garden? Will it get gold stars from Botley in Bloom this year?
(p37) Lots going on then, all this and more, and you can read all
about it in your favourite local magazine.
Ag MacKeith
Letters to the Editor
To My Patients at Botley Medical Centre
I wanted to write to you all: to thank you, say goodbye, and wish you
all the best.
I apologise I did not have the opportunity to inform you in advance of
my departure from the practice, which was rather sudden.
I was sad to have to leave the practice, and I will miss working there.
The decision to leave was entirely mine; my reasons were
professional, and arose through no fault of my own. I wish the best
for the practice.
Thank you for the warm reception you gave me, and for entrusting
me with your care. I remain a member of the local community.
Best wishes,
Dr Simon Clough
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Oxfordshire Social Prescribing Strategy
Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (OCCG) is putting
together a Social Prescribing Strategy for Oxfordshire. We are
seeking views and feedback from a variety of stakeholders
providers; voluntary organisations; GP Practice staff; Link Workers;
Healthwatch Oxfordshire; and patients and patient groups to help
shape the strategy.
What is Social Prescribing?
Social prescribing is a means of referring people to a range of local,
non-clinical services. The referrals generally, but not exclusively,
come from professionals working in primary care settings, for
example, GPs or Practice Nurses. Other agencies can also refer, or
people can refer themselves.
Social prescribing is designed to support people with a wide range of
social, emotional or practical needs. Those who could benefit
include people with mild or long-term mental health problems;
people who have complex needs; people who are socially isolated
and people with long-term conditions who frequently attend health
care services.
The key aspect of social prescribing is that people are referred to a
Link Worker, who will discuss with the person what is important to
them or the problem they need to address. The Link Worker can tell
them what options are available and refer them to an organisation or
activity that can help them. Link Workers may also be known by
other names, such as ‘Community Navigator’, for instance, but they
perform the same role. The activities available tend to be provided
by voluntary and community sector organisations. Some examples
include volunteering, arts activities, gardening, befriending, cookery,
lunch clubs as well as a range of physical activities.
We are seeking your help to develop the strategy
Oxfordshire has a diverse range of social prescribing approaches
which reflect local needs. The aim of the strategy is not only to
describe the current picture and to highlight best practice, but to
identify issues and gaps and what could be improved and how. It is
also to set out a five-year vision of what social prescribing should
look like in order to set up appropriate funding and resources.
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We welcome feedback and input to shape the strategy.
Some points to consider:
Ø Is there a social prescribing service provided by your local
Primary Care Network ?
Ø If so, do you know who the Link Worker is? Have they linked
with your local Practice or the Patients Participation Group?
Have you heard any patient feedback?
Ø If there isn’t a social prescribing service, should there be?
Ø Have you, or a relative or friend, had experience of being
supported through social prescribing? Did it help?
Ø How would you like social prescribing to develop?
These are just some examples. We would like to hear any other
ideas/ suggestions and feedback. Please contact Maggie James,
Equality & Access Manager at OCCG via email at:
Maggie.james2@nhs.net or via telephone on 07769 307054
Chris Sugden, Botley and Kennington PPG
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Hedgehog Awareness Week 2021
This year’s Hedgehog Awareness week is from 2nd to 8th May and
as in previous years, I'm writing as a member of the British
Hedgehog Preservation Society to encourage Sprout readers to get
involved in measures to protect our declining hedgehog population.
There are two main ways in which you can help.
Ø Add to the Botley hedgehog
highway. By creating a 15cm square
hole in your fence you can make a
vital difference in allowing hedgehogs
to roam freely to find food and mates.
This is particularly important if you
have installed a new fence recently or
moved into a property with new
fencing where established roaming
routes might have been disrupted. If
you create such a hole and email me
a photo, I will be pleased to send you
a ‘Hedgehog Highway’ plaque to mark the spot (pictured).
Ø Add a driver-awareness sticker to your wheelie bin to
reduce hedgehog roadkill. There are
growing numbers of ‘Hedgehog Crossing’
signs now visible on Sprout readers’
wheelie bins so that drivers (on bin nights
at least) are alerted to watch out for
hedgehog crossing points. This is
particularly important in the current period
of traffic diversions into Arthray,
Hutchcomb and Hurst Rise roads which
are known to be hedgehog crossing
points. If you are willing to add a sticker to
your wheelie bin (pictured) please email
me on roger.dalrymple@spc.oxon.org
and I will be pleased to post one to you.
Thank you for your support in preserving our hedgehog population.
Roger Dalrymple, British Hedgehog Preservation Society
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Having your say:
Neighbourhood Plan referendum and more .
As the Parish Council moves forward into a new administrative year,
and the country gradually moves out of lockdown there are changes
afoot.
Alongside the County Council elections on May 6th, there will be an
important referendum on our Neighbourhood Plan, which has been
on hold for the past year because of Covid-19 restrictions. This is
your chance to answer a simple yes or no question on whether the
policies in the Plan should be implemented alongside the Vale’s
Local Plan as part of the legislation that all local planning
applications have to adhere to.
In addition to measures aimed at countering inappropriate housing
proposals, the Plan includes important policies that provide
protection for our local green spaces and community infrastructure,
and stricter regulations aimed at helping to counter climate change.
Further information can be
found on our website at
www.northhinksey-pc.gov.uk
including a link to the Vale’s
website where the Plan can be
downloaded.
This is an important
opportunity for you to help
introduce policies that reflect
the wishes and needs of our
local community, and in
addition will have a positive
impact on all of our lives.
Please make sure that you
vote in this referendum on May
6th.
There is also a chance
throughout May to vote in an
online poll being run by our
Parish Council in support of a
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campaign to introduce a 20 mph speed limit on all residential roads
throughout the Parish. The question being asked in our poll is simply
“Should North Hinksey Parish be a 20mph zone?” When this
proposal was discussed in the recent Annual Parish Meeting an
impressive 92% of attendees voted in favour, so we now want to find
out if that enthusiasm is reflected across all local residents. Look out
for details on our website, and find out more about the national ’20 is
plenty’ campaign at www.20splenty.org
The wording of a motion on another issue raised at the Annual
Parish Meeting relating to the former Scout Hut was not agreed by
the meeting attendees. As a result the Vale have adjudicated that a
subsequent Parish Poll requested in the meeting will not take place.
Finally, some news about changes to the way we hold Parish
Council meetings. As things stand it looks like the Government are
not going to extend the current legislation that allows us to hold
meetings online, which means that we would have to return to
physical face-to-face meetings from 7th May. Like many Councils we
are not in favour of this, and would prefer that the option of holding
online or hybrid meetings is continued. However we will have to
await the outcome of a review to learn the final decision. Our
website will have up-to-date information about public access to
meetings and their rescheduling, as there is likely to be an interim
period through to the end of June as we establish a new structure to
allow us to continue to work effectively.
David Kay, Chair, North Hinksey Parish Council
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Minns Memorial Garden
In the NHPC survey of
Botley’s green spaces,
the Minns garden in the
North Hinksey Lane
nature reserve got a bad
press. For most of last
summer it was the haunt
of a band of genial old
drunks, who made it their
home from first thing in
the morning till last thing
at night. If you stopped to
chat they were quite
welcoming, but their
presence was a real
disincentive for anyone
who might have wanted
to sit and enjoy a few
peaceful moments in the
sun. And the litter and
mess were something else! Kevin Minns had funded the original
garden as a memorial to his grandfather, whose firm had built much
of Elms Rise. When it got overgrown he gave the PC some money
to get it back into shape, and we were keen to spend it. But the hot
weather, the lockdown, and the constant occupation meant that we
couldn’t manage to get started. There didn’t seem to be any way of
reclaiming the space, until a simple solution presented itself: the
benches were in a bad state
and needed to be refurbished.
Taking them away magically
removed the attraction, and
the garden was ours again.
Over the winter we were able
to get it cleared, and it has
now been planted with shrubs
that should provide flowers
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and scent all the year round: winter-flowering honeysuckle and wych
hazel in the winter; bulbs and japonica in the spring; summer flowers
like roses, mock orange blossom and lace-cap hydrangea, and
autumn berries and colourful leaves from red currants and
pyracantha. A double row of lavender bushes lines the path, and
there will be a rosemary bush in the round bed in the centre. We are
waiting for a suitable moment to restore the benches not sure yet
when that might be!
The Nature Reserve itself consists of the garden, the wildflower
meadow with its pond and ditch, and the Community Orchard. The
orchard blossom is just coming out, the pond has tadpoles and
kingcups, and so far there are cowslips and wild daffodils in the
meadow. The plan is to plant riverside plants like purple loosestrife
and monkey flower along the banks of the ditch, currently full of
watercress, and yellow rattle has been sown in the orchard to
encourage the flowers by restricting the grass. Do come and visit
it’s there for everyone.
We’ve done our best to make this public space wildlife friendly.
Roselle Chapman of Wild Oxfordshire has tips to apply at home:
Ø maximise the biodiversity of your garden to ensure a healthy web
of predator and prey, which means that the critters you don’t
want around (eg, aphids) will be taken care of by their natural
predators (eg, parasitic wasps). If you use chemicals to kill
aphids, the wasps will be killed too!
Ø your lawn doesn’t need to be carpet-perfect (unless you are a
bowling or golf club!). If you leave the moss it will keep in the
moisture so you don’t have to water it so often, and if you don’t
cut it so short and allow clover, daisies and dandelions to flourish
you will be providing welcome food for pollinators.
Ø everyone who buys flowers to feed bees and other pollinators
that visit their garden will be gutted to realise that those flowers
(often marketed as ‘bee-friendly’) will be a poisoned chalice if
they contain pesticides. In the Great British Bee Count of 2018
there was much media coverage of the issue of neonicotinoids.
In response to this, B&Q and other retailers stopped suppliers
from using neonics. But other pesticides that are very harmful to
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pollinators are still legal. The problem has not gone away. So be
careful who you buy from. There are plenty of organic bulb and
plant suppliers to choose from.
Ø Also make sure that everything has been grown in peat-free
compost, because peat acts as a carbon store, it’s a great habi-
tat for wildlife, it has a role in water management, and preserves
things well for archaeology. And it’s finite we don’t want to use
it all up!
More here: //www.wildoxfordshire.org.uk/communities/resources
The Parish Council’s Environment Committee, set up in response to
the climate crisis, is looking at ways of greening Botley. There will be
more on the ideas arising from the recent Green online workshop in
next month’s Sprout.
Judi Bolder, NHPC Allotment Committee
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meet Clare Sykes
Officially, Reverend Clare Sykes is
Rector of the Benefice of Osney,
and is responsible for the churches
of St Peter & St Paul (West Way),
St Lawrence (North Hinksey
Lane), St Frideswide (Botley
Road), and St Margaret of Antioch
(Binsey). Less officially, Clare is
the lovely woman who walks her
whippets Poppy and Fizz the
‘Holy Dogs around the
neighbourhood, stopping to talk to
people on the way; and who has a
large camper van in her drive. I
talked to Clare about how she
ended up in Botley, and the pains
and pleasures of her job.
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Clare grew up near High Wycombe, and became a Christian when
she was 14 years old. In her early 20s, she started thinking that she
might have a vocation in the church. At the time, women couldn’t
get ordained: but time passed, and women were ordained as
deacons in 1985, as priests in 1994, and finally as bishops in 2015.
All Church of England clergy start as deacons, many go on to
become priests, and some to become bishops. Clare was ordained
as a deacon in Hereford Diocese in 1996, and as a priest in 1997.
Clare, moved to Oxford with her family in 2012. Oxford was closer
to parents, and besides, they wanted to be somewhere more
cosmopolitan. Clare remembers coming to Oxford on the bus as a
teenager, visiting the shops and going punting, so Oxford also felt
familiar.
Clare’s first priority after moving here was to bring her two parishes
North Hinksey with Botley, and St Frideswide with Binsey
together more, and make all four churches functional, with good
quality public worship, organised administration, and active church
members. That has now been done, and she is concentrating on
helping the churches be more outward-facing: not just perceived as
little groups of people who meet on Sunday mornings, but open to
the entire community.
One interesting aspect of the CofE is that it is, by law, a public good
which serves the whole community, not just the people who go to
church. Everyone who lives within the ecclesiastical parish
boundaries has a legal right to be baptised, married and have a
funeral in the church, and to be buried there if there is space. In
contrast, churches that are not CofE are only responsible for their
own congregations. So, for instance, every December Clare runs a
memorial service for people who have been bereaved over the
course of the previous year. She also provides memorial services,
for instance for Eleanor, the lady who lived by Seacourt Stream. and
died a couple of years ago.
Organisational objectives tend to be dry reading, but Clare gives
good examples of how the CofE’s objectives affect what she does:
Ø Pastoral Looking after people who need support, exercising
love and praying for the community.
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Ø !
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Ø Social Supporting the social life of the parish. For Clare, this
includes providing a venue for the Botley Community Arts
Project, the community fridge and the community larder, wel-
coming North Hinksey Primary school into St Lawrence for
weekly collective worship.!
Ø Evangelistic Sharing the message of Jesus, the good news of
the Gospel, both through services and in day-to-day inter-
actions. The churches will be open on Sundays from Easter
Sunday, and during the week from June or July. !
Ø Ecumenical Co-operating with local churches: the Roman
Catholic church on Yarnells Hill, Baptist church in West Way,
Calvary Church which meets in Botley School, Kings Church on
Osney Mead, and Elim Pentecostal Church on the Botley Road.!
“I love my job and I’m never bored,” says Clare, “but it is very
unboundaried. The church’s overall mission is ‘loving God and
loving our neighbour’. There is always much more that could be
done than is physically possible.” The rapidly-changing context of
the Botley area is hard to deal with. The number of homes on West
Way has almost doubled in the time that Clare has been here,
homelessness has been rising, the West Way development has
gone on during the entire time that she has been the local priest,
and of course dealing with Covid has been difficult.
In the immediate future, Clare plans to reopen the church buildings
and get the church’s activities going again, and she thinks lots of
pastoral work will be needed. The church has a clear role to be
there for everyone: “We have been through such a tumultuous time
that, as a wider community, we need to pay attention to our spiritual
care, and I am trained in that.
Also, when the churches
reopen, there will be a sacred
space that people can go into.
We live in such a frenetic
society, which is so busy with
traffic and people, that to have
a public space that people can
just retreat to is tremendously
valuable.” Riki Therivel
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Oxford XVth Home Camping
As national restrictions ease,
here at the 15th Oxford
Scouts, our plans are ramping
up for a Spring and Summer
of outdoor activities,
culminating hopefully in our
annual Summer Camp
residential. Whilst overnight
stays are not currently
allowed, that didn’t stop us
running a Virtual Spring Camp
at Home for our Cubs and
Scouts over the Easter
Weekend. The emphasis was
on den building and sleeping
somewhere unusual, all from the comfort of their own home, with
less of the home comforts, if you know what I mean. Between the
comfortable, or uncomfortable, overnight sleeps there was plenty
more to do to fill the days.
Friday saw digital escape rooms, a navigational Pac-man game
based on map symbols, an online puzzle, and an eating challenge.
There was no let-up on
Saturday as everybody
had 24 hours to
complete up to 40 mini
tasks, with notable
entries of building
towers, learning
languages, telling jokes,
balancing biscuits, juggling, making hats, upside down photos, using
morse code (just as much fun as ever, see photo) and singing
campfire songs.
On to Easter Sunday, an egg-based day of course, which saw us all
egg-decorating, hunting Easter eggs, making eggy bread and other
eggs-periments, egg and spoon races, and eating your body weight
in chocolate (or maybe that was just the leaders?!) Virtual camp
ended with a series of badge-focussed activities that taught and
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explored key Scouting values. They were a series of ‘How to’ tasks
that covered;
Ø Air Activities Star Wars Origami and RAF Paper Plane
Ø Chef Constellation cookies and Armpit Rocky Road
Ø Craft Duct tape wallet and Wooden Stand
Ø Creative Mini pioneering and Build a Space Station
Ø Nature Build a bug hotel and Make a bird feeder
Ø Science Foil boats and Parachutes
All this is just a taste of what we get up to on our regular Friday night
meetings and camps. By the time you read this we will have
hopefully been meeting face-to-face for a couple of weeks, with a St
George’s day Dragon wide-game and Among Us wide-game already
planned (wide-game being the term for a game played over, you
guessed it, a large area like Raleigh Park or Louis Memorial Fields).
Spaces are filling up quickly to join us so if any of this sounds like
something an 8 to 18 year old you know would like to get involved
in. You can email us on XVOxfordScouts@yahoo.co.uk or check
out our website https://sites.google.com/site/15thoxfordscouts/
Tom Freeman
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Skatepark and Art projects need YOU
On 18th March over 100 people attended the North Hinksey Parish
Council Annual Public Meeting online to hear updates on some
major projects in and around the Parish. Two of those projects
involved the creation of new working groups of members of the
public and it’s not too late to get involved:
Skatepark working group
We have set up a working group to help deliver on our key objective
of "Engaging young people in the design and provision of a skate
park.” By the time you read this, people who have already come
forward will have been invited to join the Recreation & Amenities
Committee meeting online on 29th April where the remit of the
Working Group and its Council members will be agreed. But you can
still join after this date. We want enthusiastic skaters, parents and
supporters to get involved. Look out for details on our website and
Facebook page or find out more about how to join the working group
from Cllr Caroline Potter: Cllr.caroline.potter@gmail.com
Mural working group:
We are also looking for members of the public to join Councillors
working with local artists on planning a mural for the main entrance
to Botley: the pedestrian, cycle and traffic route under the A34
bridge over West Way. This is your chance to get involved in
transforming a tired and drab area into a vibrant gateway to Botley
and the west of Oxford, helping to improve the perception of our
community and cheer up commuters, locals and visitors for years to
come.
This is just one part of a public art project for the West Way Square
shopping and residential area, made possible by Section 106 money
earmarked for public art in and around the new development. We
need enthusiastic people to help us work with commissioned artists,
the public, and Highways England, and to fundraise for more money
to extend and maintain the project in future years. To join please
contact Cllr Laura Jones: NHPCLauraJones@gmail.com
Updates on these and other projects can be found on the Parish
Council website at https://northhinksey-pc.gov.uk/
Lorna Berrett , North Hinksey Parish Council
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Bringing on Great Writers
There are always challenges on our learning journeys, both for the
children and the staff, and our mission to create great writers has
been part of a team effort this year! Back in September the
teachers looked at how we could help our children become lively,
enthusiastic writers. How could we instil a love of words and an
enjoyment in creating writing? We thought hard about where to
focus our teaching, where to scaffold and support the children’s
needs. The thing we all love about Botley School is the wide range
of languages spoken, beliefs, cultures, etc, all coming together to
create our community. We took this as our inspiration and
challenged our staff to find writing opportunities in all areas of the
curriculum. We looked at the skills needed, we modelled our writing
on good texts and examples, we developed skills and vocabulary.
When we set the challenge we had not
anticipated yet another lockdown, with
partial opening and remote teaching.
But, despite the hurdles, the children
have done well and we are confidently
creating successful writers for the real
world. Much credit goes to the staff
teams in each school year group, and
thanks, too, to the parents who
supported children’s online lessons.
Here are a couple of examples from all
those displayed around the school at the
moment. We are looking forward to the
day when we can welcome people back
into school to see all the amazing writing
the children are doing.
Jo Reid, Headteacher
[The Sprout format can hardly do justice to the examples shown, but
we can give you some idea. Catherine (Yr 1) wrote the first with ink
and a quill as Samuel Pepys, observing the great fire of London in
1666. The cartoon, by Kiko (Yr 5), is a lively account of the formation
of a fish fossil found in Lime Regis by Mary Anning. Its wit, humour,
clarity and precision are striking, and we have given it a full page so
you can appreciate it properly. Ed]
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Tackle weight gain during lockdown!
As we mark the anniversary of the Covid pandemic, we can reflect
on all the things we have lost: freedom, jobs, friends, people, and
hugs, to name a few. We have gained things too: more time with
children and partners, some perspective on what’s really important
and, for many of us, weight. In fact, latest statistics show that 47% of
people in the UK claim to have gained weight in the last year.
As the roadmap to freedom plays out, many of us will stand in front
of our wardrobes, wondering what we will wear when it gets warmer,
or if we are invited to attend a social gathering. This induces anxiety,
which in turn makes the thought of losing weight very daunting.
Remember, we are still in a pandemic and we are emotionally
fatigued. Trying to lose weight now is really tough. So see this time
as an opportunity to do things differently. Yo-yo dieting often occurs
because people start from a place of not liking their bodies. How
about instead of criticising yourself, you look in the mirror and say,
“It’s ok. You have been through a lot this year. I see that you used
food and drink as a comfort and that’s OK. I love you; I’ve got you
and I am going to do my best to slowly get you back to where you
were. You are amazing, strong, brave, and beautiful. You survived.
Allow yourself a glimpse into the future at a healthier version of you.
What will your lifestyle look like? What needs to change to get
there? Take one or a few things at a time. Some ideas include:
Ø if you enjoy a glass of wine, drink it only on the weekend!
Ø switch your evening snacking to healthier options!
Ø restart that yoga class!
Ø work on your mental health!
Ø begin mindfulness!
Ø download the Couch to 5K app!
Ø snack less!
Ø buy extra veggies and fill up more of your plate!
Ø reach out to a friend for support or maybe get a fitness or
health coach involved. !
You can’t do it all at once, but your body and soul will thank you for
taking the first step. Change that voice in your head, maybe right
now it will be enough to help you make a start.
Claire Cattel, Mindset Coach
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KENNINGTON MEMORY CLUB WILL RE-OPEN
ON MONDAY MAY 10TH.
Social distancing Initially there will be fewer members attending
than in normal times, to allow for the social distancing required.
There will be some other changes from before Covid, but the
welcome will be as warm, the activities will be as stimulating, and
the change of scene will be appreciated by members.
Helpers Initially there will be no volunteer helpers, so everyone
within the building will be protected by the COVID vaccine. There will
also be all the necessary infection control procedures in place, so
members and their families can have confidence that they are as
safe as they possibly can be when at the Day Centre.
Members As restrictions are eased the number of members at each
session will go up again, so more people with a diagnosis of
dementia will be able to benefit from the Day Centre sessions, and
more carers will get respite from their 24/7 responsibilities. We
would like to invite potential members, their families or carers to get
in touch with the Club Organiser, Helen, on 07852 883496, to
discuss names going down for the Club. Details here:
kenningtonmemoryclub.org.uk Isobel Birse
New residents at Louie Memorial Playing Fields
If you stroll through the woods in the Lower Louie Memorial Playing
Field off Arnold’s Way, you might notice some newly constructed
houses. Don’t worry we haven’t lost any green space to
speculative developers! These new (tiny) homes have been built for
our feathery friends.
Local bird enthusiast Clive Smith
has made ten bird boxes for the
Louie Memorial copse, at the
request of North Hinksey Parish
Council. NHPC has been
reviewing the management plan
for the playing fields through a
working group that includes local
residents with experience in
ecology and conservation. Bird
boxes were one of the working
group’s first recommendations for
encouraging wildlife to flourish in
our lovely green space. Thanks to
Clive’s quick work, the new boxes
were installed in time for the start
of the nesting season.
In mid-April I accompanied Clive
on the first check of the boxes. He’d already noticed activity at the
ones previously installed in Raleigh Park, so we were hopeful that
the birds might have discovered our new boxes too. We weren’t
disappointed six out of ten boxes already had nests in them, with
one of them occupied when we visited! I am new to bird-box
monitoring, but to Clive’s trained eyes the nests were made by Great
Tits and Blue Tits (two species that can do well in this area). The
boxes were designed for smaller birds like these. Longer term, we
are also considering installing larger boxes for owls and bats.
The bird boxes require very little maintenance, but their presence
creates an exciting opportunity to get involved in wildlife monitoring
and conservation efforts. The British Trust for Ornithology supports
many projects to keep track of how our bird populations are doing,
39
including monitoring nests in gardens and woodlands
(https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/nesting-neighbours).
Could you be part of North Hinksey citizen science? If you are
interested in adopting a bird box to monitor during the nesting
season, we’d love to hear from you. NHPC (with support from Clive)
can provide information and guidance the essential elements for
successful monitoring are enthusiasm and confident use of a ladder!
Let me know on cllr.caroline.potter@gmail.com
Caroline Potter, Chair, Recreation & Amenities Committee
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BOTLEY IN BLOOM
!
FRONT!GARDEN!COMPETITION!
all!across!the!parish!during!June.!
Sponsored!by!North!Hinksey!Parish!
Council!and!organized!by!the!Sprout.
THREE!CLASSES:!
Ø BEST*FRONT*GARDEN!
Ø *BEST*CULTIVATED-WILDLIFE*FRONT*GARDEN!
Ø BEST*USE*OF*VEGETABLES*IN*A*FRONT*GARDEN!
!
Closing!date!June!18th.!
Judging!by!June!30th!
!
No!entry!form.!!!!!!!!!!Entry!by!email!to!editor@thesprout.org!!
You! can! enter! ANY!FRONT! GARDEN! in!the! parish! you!think!!!!!!!
deserves!to!be!noticed,!including!your!own.!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
STOP PRESS: Botley Arts is starting up again after the long, dismal
winter! Exhibition of pictures by local photographer Miles Gomme at
St Peter & St Paul's Church, West Way from Monday May 17th.
Randoms
Lunch Club
Time on your hands? Botley Seniors Lunch Club very much
hopes to resume meeting fortnightly again as soon as government
guidelines allow. They are looking to expand the team of volunteers
to help prepare, cook, and serve a two-course lunch to local older
people in the Seacourt Hall. If you can spare some time every other
week and would like to join the friendly team please contact Jackie
Warner on 01865 721386.
Churches open
The Churches of St. Peter and St. Paul, West Way and St.
Lawrence, North Hinksey are now both open for Sunday worship at
9.30am and 11.30am respectively. Social distancing is in place and
masks must be worn. We look forward to welcoming you back.
LOCAL PLANNING APPLICATIONS
P21/V0769/HH
4 Stanley Close. The demolition of
existing garage and the erection of a two-
storey side extension and single-storey
rear extension.
12 March
Target
Decision Date:
7 May
P21/V0791/HH
24 Crabtree Rd. Demolish existing single
storey extension, replace with full width
extension plus basement room.
15 March
TDD: 10 May
P21/V0483/HH
Stanton House Stanton Rd. Single storey
garage.
16 March
TDD: 17 May
P21/V0705/HH
38 Arthray Rd. Demolish garage, build
single storey lean-to rear extension
extended to side for house entrance.
25 March
TDD: 20 May
P21/V0710/LDP
31 Chestnut Rd. Convert hip roof to
gable roof, increasing south-facing roof
elevation for solar panels plus 3 Velux
roof lights.
29 March
TDD: 24 May
P21/V0725/HH
29 March
TDD: 24 May
41
Organizations: If your organization is not listed here, please send details
to editor@thesprout.org.uk or telephone 724452 for inclusion.
1st Botley Brownies
Girls aged 710
Dean Court Community Centre Thur 67.30 Jean Metson,
firstbotleybrownies@gmail.com
2nd Botley Brownies
Girls aged 710
Rosary Room, Yarnells Hill. Tues 6:15-7:45 Alison
Griffin 2ndbotleybrownies@outlook.com
4th Oxford Scout Group
Beavers, Cub Scouts, Scouts
mail@thefourth.org.uk Website:
http://www.thefourth.org.uk/
15th Oxford Scout Group
Boys and girls welcome
Fridays, Cubs 6.30-8, Scouts 8-9.30, 1 Church Way,
Botley Amy Cusden (Cubs) 07887 654386, Tom Freeman
(Scouts) 07837 623768 xvoxfordscouts@yahoo.co.uk
Baby & Toddler Group
Tues/Thurs 9.1511, SS Peter & Paul Church Hall
Badminton Club
Thurs 7-8pm at Matthew Arnold Sports Hall. Garry Clark
0777 3559 314 garryclark13@gmail.com
BikeSafe. B4044 community
path campaign
Wants to connect Botley to Eynsham. Meets every 6-8
weeks. Contact via website B4044path.org
Books on Wheels R.V.S.
Free Library Service for housebound Ox. 248142
Botley Boys & Girls F.C.
Football teams from ages 8-16
Jason Barley Ox. 242926 jbarley1@sky.com or Brendan
Byrne 792531 brendan.byrne999@gmail.com
Botley Community Larder
Thursdays, 3.30 to 5.30 at St P&P Church Hall, West
Way, contact us via Facebook or email
botleylarder@gmail.com
Botley Health Walks
Wednesday 9.30am. Contact Briony on Ox 246497
Botley Library
01865 248142. Open till 7 on Friday and 1pm on Sat,
otherwise 9.30 to 5.30 (closed Wednesdays).
Botley Seniors Lunch Club
Alternate Thursdays. Seacourt Hall. Jackie Warner
Ox721386
Botley Singers
Thur 7.30, St Andrew’s Church, Dean Court. Angela
Astley-Penny Ox.242189 angastpen@aol.com
Cumnor Choral Society
Rehearsals Friday 7.45 to 9.45 pm John May 07795
054142 or www.cumnorchoralsociety.wordpress.com
Cumnor Chess Club
Thurs 79pm Cumnor Old School. Steven Bennett
862788 www.cumnorchessclub.co.uk
Cumnor & District
Historical Society
Last Monday of the month 7.30-9.00 Cumnor Old School.
01865 724808
Cumnor Gardening Club
http://cumnorgardens.org.uk/ or phone 01865 721026
Harmony InSpires, Ladies'
Acappella Singing Group
Wed 7.30 at Appleton Village Hall. C. Casson 01235
831352 or harmonyinspires@hotmail.co.uk
Hill End Volunteer Team
Contact: David Millin on david.millin@hill-end.org, call
863510 or visit www.hillend-oec.co.uk
Let’s Sing! singing group
Weds 2pm, WOCC, Emily 07969 522368 or email
emformusic@outlook.com
42
Morris Dancing Cry Havoc
Barbara Brett 249599 or bag@cryhavoc.org.uk
North Hinksey Preschool
and Childcare clubs
MonFri 7.45am6.00 pm. Tel 794287 or email
nhps.manager1@gmail.com
N Hinksey Art Group
Weds 10 12.00 W.I. Hall Tel: Christina 07931 707997
N Hinksey Bellringers
Contact: Ray Rook 01865 241451
N Hinksey Conservation
Volunteers
Meets at weekends Contact Voirrey Carr 07798743121
voirreyc@aol.com
N Hinksey, Friends of
Annual Cricket Match & Walk. Douglas Bond 791213.
N Hinksey Parish Council
Sharon Henley, clerk@northhinksey-pc.gov.uk
N Hinksey Youth Club
Weds at LM pavilion, Daz on 07791 212866 or see
F’book
Oxford Flood Alliance
R Thurston 01865 723663 or 07973 292035
Oxford Flower Arranging Club
4th Thursday Cumnor. Dympna Walker: 01865 865259
Oxford Harmony Men's
Acappella singing group
Meets Wednesdays 7.45 pm at Seacourt Hall, Contact
pro@oxfordharmony.co.uk
Oxford Otters
Swimming for people with disabilities. Sundays, twice
monthly. Contact: Alan Cusden 723420
Oxford Rugby Club
Boys and girls from 5, kevin.honner@ntlworld.com
Seniors, training etc jbrodley@chandlings.org.uk.
Oxford Sports Lawn Tennis
Club, N Hinksey
Family club: Melanie Riste 848658
melanie_riste@hotmail.com
Raleigh Park, Friends of
raleighpark@raleighpark.org.uk
Saturdads at
Botley Bridges
Fun activities and trips for Dads and under 5’s
10 amnoon 1st Sat of month. Tel: 243955
Seacourt Hall Management
Committee
Michael Cockman 07766 317691
michael.cockman@gmail.com.
Shotokan Karate Club
6+ WOCC twice weekly Martyn King 07836 646450
Walking for Health
2nd & 4th Saturdays 9.50 Louie Memorial Field car
park, Arnolds Way. Alan 07941 610913
West Oxford Bowls Club
Contact details on www.westoxfordbowlsclub.co.uk
West Oxford Taekwon Do Club
Mon, Thurs 6.30-8pm, MA gym, contact Chris Hall
01865 570291 www.wotkd.co.uk
West Oxford U3A
(Uni of the 3rd Age) http://westoxfordu3a.org.uk/
West Way Day Centre
Mon & Fri 103pm, Field House, 07740 611971.
oxfordshirehub@royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk
Women’s Institute (Botley)
Liz Manson, 244175 or liz.manson@virginmedia.com
43
Botley Baptist Hall
West Way Place
Contact: Rev Kalyan Das
Tel. 07841 867967
The Rosary Room
Yarnells Hill, Elms Rise
Contact Maria Brown,
Tel: 01865 247986.
SS Peter & Paul Church
Hall, West Way, Botley
Contact: 07946 463741 or
osneybenefice@outlook.com.
Women's Institute Hall,
North Hinksey Lane
Contact: Val Warner
Tel. 01865 245273
Seacourt Hall, West
Way Place, Botley
Contact: Lottie White on 07452 960100,
or email admin@seacourthall.org.uk
Pavilion, Arnold’s Way,
Elms Rise, Botley
Contact: Darren Blase 241254
louiememorialpavilion@gmail.com
Oxford Rugby Club,
North Hinksey Village
Contact:. Mary Bagnall
mary.bagnall1@btinternet.com.
North Hinksey & Botley Churches
Times of Services (once resumed) and Contacts
St. Lawrence, Church of England, North Hinksey Lane
1st, 2nd, 4th Sunday, Sung Eucharist 11.30 a.m.
3rd Sunday, Matins 11.30 am
St. Peter and St. Paul, Church of England, West Way
2nd Saturday each Month, 46pm Messy Church for children and their carers
1st Sunday of the Month, 9.30am All Age service of Holy Communion
All other Sundays, 9.30am Holy Communion with activities for children
Every Wednesday, 10.30am Holy Communion at Field House
Rev C Sykes, 01865 242345 or revclare@btinternet.com
Our Lady of the Rosary, Roman Catholic, Yarnells Hill
Saturday 6.30 pm. Mass
Sunday 9.15 am Mass
Fr Daniel Lloyd. 07584 323915 dlloyd@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk.
Botley Baptist Church, West Way Place
Sunday Service 10.30 am.
Mid Week House Group 8.00 p.m.
Family Worship Service 5 - 6pm on Saturday
Rev K Das 07841 867967 www.botleybaptistchurch.org
Calvary Chapel
Sunday services held at Botley School 10.3012 noon
Pastor Philip Vickery 01865 864498
calvarychapeloxford@yahoo.co.uk;
www.calvarychapeloxford.org.uk
44
Sprout
May 2021
2nd--8th Hedgehog Awareness Week
Thurs 6th County Council Elections,
Neighbourhood Plan referendum
8th16th Oxford Artweeks (Botley)
Mon 10th Kennington Memory Club reopens
Mon 17th Miles Gomme’s photos in Ss P&P church
Some useful phone numbers
See North Hinksey Parish Council website for a comprehensive list
of all the local support groups currently in operation, as well as
advice on asking for help and looking to volunteer. It’s at
https://northhinksey-pc.gov.uk/covid-19-community-hub/ If you
have something to add, please email the website manager
Councillor Lorna Berrett on lberrett.nhpc@gmail.com.
Church contact details opposite.
Oxford Hub hello@oxfordhub.org 07957 105129 (9-5pm Mon-Fri)
Citizens Advice Adviceline on 0300 3309 042
Woodlands Pharmacy: 01865 242649
Lloyds Pharmacy: 01865 247023
Age UK Oxfordshire offers a new telephone support line for older
people. Leave a message on 01865 411288 and they will call back.
Nextdoor North Hinksey is a local chatroom full of help and advice.
Anyone already on it can invite you to join, or contact the Sprout
Finally, two handy Facebook pages:
The Botley Notice Board (OXON)
and Oxford Covid-19 Mutual Aid group